which ultra

Hi there am looking to do my first ultra next year, will be doing Paris marathon in april so this will add to my training. there is one i am looking at the fat feet grim reaper 40 miler but not sure, if anyone has done this before any advice would be good, terrain ect. or if anyone can recommend any other ultras.

I have not done that particular event, but I could suggest a number of good entry ultras around May/June. The Northants Shires and Spires was my first ultra, as it was for many on this site. The Dukeries ultra is also a nice little number. Other people speak highly of the Dartmoor Discovery ultra, though I have not personally done it!

I did the Grim Reaper 40 last year as my first ultra - the laps make it a great option for a debut event as you can take all the kit you think you might ever need and store it at the start/finish area, so you can access it at the end of each lap. Terrain wise, good mix of road, trail and field; slightly undulating but no long or scary steep hills.No navigation needed, course is well marked. 26 hour cut-off too, so absolutely no pressure on pacing yourself. Other than all the mud last year, can't think of a single bad thing to say about it!

AS an addition to the other suggestions: one other approach, slightly unusual, perhaps: I did the London Ultra (50K) in Feb this year BEFORE running my first marathon at the end of April - worked for me! (Started distance training in October, ran the 50K, then afterwards actually reduce mileage a bit while doing some speedwork for the marathon...)

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